The Reading-Berks Guild of Craftsmen celebrated the nation’s 250th anniversary by donating a total of $30,000 to three organizations it says have helped preserve and promote the region’s artistic and cultural traditions for decades.
During a presentation July 17 in the Rolf & Renate Schmidt Gallery at GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, the guild presented checks for $10,000 each to GoggleWorks, BCTV and the Kutztown University Foundation to benefit the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center.
Guild President Barry L. Bennecoff said the donations also coincide with the organization’s 81st anniversary and reflect its longstanding mission to support craftspeople and preserve traditional arts.
Founded in 1945, the Reading-Berks Guild of Craftsmen is the oldest chapter in the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen and traces its roots to Kutztown University, where professors and students helped establish the organization, Bennecoff said. Today, he said, the guild has about 150 members representing traditional crafts and fine arts.
“Because our purposes are to promote and protect the interests of craftsmen, encourage the study and practice of handcrafts, uphold the best of traditional and contemporary crafts and maintain standards of excellence in design and technique, we are extremely proud and humbled to support organizations that help further that mission,” Bennecoff said.
Presenting the donation to BCTV, Bennecoff credited the community television station with helping local artists reach audiences throughout Berks County through decades of programming highlighting craftspeople and their work.
Heather Adams, BCTV executive director, said the gift reflects the strength of partnerships among local nonprofits.
“We’re grateful for a partnership with the guild that has spanned more than 40 years,” Adams said, noting the organizations have produced hundreds of hours of programming celebrating local artists and art traditions while working together on community events and fundraising efforts.
Accepting the donation for the GoggleWorks, Jennifer Stoltzfoos, engagement manager, thanked the guild for its continued support of arts education.
GoggleWorks sees firsthand how artistic experiences build confidence, create friendships and inspire young people discovering their creative talents, she said.
The third donation was designated for the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University, where it will support preservation of the region’s folk culture, language and artistic traditions.
Patrick J. Donmoyer, the center’s director, said the guild has partnered with the Heritage Center for more than three decades and recently entrusted it with preserving the guild’s archives dating to its 1945 founding.
The contribution, he said, will help both organizations continue celebrating the cultural heritage of southeastern Pennsylvania while expanding educational programming for the community.
Bennecoff said selecting the recipients was an important decision for the guild’s leadership and one they believe honors organizations that have played a vital role in advancing the arts, preserving history and enriching the Reading-Berks community.